_Michael Posted October 7, 2018 Share #1 Posted October 7, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Okay, this might be a really dumb question but I will ask anyway Is there a purpose for the raised red dot? Is it just an aesthetic? Just curious and my searches have not found much Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 7, 2018 Posted October 7, 2018 Hi _Michael, Take a look here Raised red dot on Leica lenses?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
adan Posted October 7, 2018 Share #2 Posted October 7, 2018 (edited) It is to be aligned with the lens release button when mounting the lens - "raised" so that its location can be felt with a finger, in "available darkness" or if looking at the lens would be a distraction. See fifth picture here: https://www.adorama.com/alc/7519/article/fujifilm-m-mount-adapter-x-mount-product-review The dot has morphed over the decades, from simple red paint spot to small red bump - to the current size/shape, approximately 1970. At a time when the Leica M was still used by many working PJs in rapidly-moving news situations (e.g. wars) who needed to change lenses often and fast, while still paying attention to those folks across the rice paddy who were shooting at them. NB - with Leica, of course, "introducing a change" may take a decade all by itself. So the size/shape of the red lens dot is not a perfect guide to lens age. E.G. 135 f/4 had just the small bump until a cosmetic redesign around 1992. The lens mounting dot was introduced long before the red-dot "Leica" camera logo, however (first used on Leica R3, 1976, and M4-P (full-time), 1980). Edited October 7, 2018 by adan 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Michael Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted October 7, 2018 Thank you Adan! Very informative for me, and I’d guess others too Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted October 7, 2018 Share #4 Posted October 7, 2018 (edited) If Leica had cared for photojournalists it would have produced some stealthy finishes, not silly Safari editions for much later irrelevant times. Edited October 7, 2018 by pico Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted October 7, 2018 Share #5 Posted October 7, 2018 If Leica had cared for photojournalists it would have produced some stealthy finishes, not silly Safari editions for much later irrelevant times. The past cannot be changed (except in Hollywood films), the future is an open book. Let's hope that Leica shares that philosophy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted October 7, 2018 Share #6 Posted October 7, 2018 (edited) If Leica had cared for photojournalists it would have produced some stealthy finishes, not silly Safari editions for much later irrelevant times. Someone took their Grumpy pill today. Anyway, Canon EOS lenses (at least the pricier FF ones) and even late FD lenses copy the raised Leica red dot on the lens almost exactly. Nikon always just assumes people know to align the focus index mark (center of the DoF scale) with a dot on the camera - dating from when lenses had to be manually "indexed" to the metering connection anyway (fit lens "fork" over metering arm pin, twist back and forth twice - Gad, main reason I never used ttl-metered Nikons until AI arrived in 1977!). Modern Nikkors with no aperture ring and often no DoF scale at all have added a large white "mounting index" spot. Edited October 7, 2018 by adan Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marchyman Posted October 8, 2018 Share #7 Posted October 8, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Canon uses a red dot on EF lenses and a white dot on EF-S lenses. Canon APS-C bodies have both a red and a white dot on the mounting flange. When mounting lenses the dot on the lens is matched to the same colored dot on the camera. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted October 8, 2018 Share #8 Posted October 8, 2018 Pentax K mount (which looks a lot like the R mount) used a raised white bead that also lined up with the body lens release lever. However, they also had red paint dots at a different position on the body bayonet flange and the lens bayonet OD, so you could align either indication. I always wondered if the copied the R mount with enough difference so they wouldn’t interchange. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted October 8, 2018 Share #9 Posted October 8, 2018 Is here any interchangeable cameras, lenses manufacturer who doesn't have lens mount marks? I guess you don't need it for screw mount, but bayonet without marks? Must be Nikon . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_FD_lens_mount https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta_SR-mount#/media/File:Blendensimulator_Minolta_XD7_animation-2.gif https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount#/media/File:KAF2-2.jpg Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted October 8, 2018 Share #10 Posted October 8, 2018 (edited) If Leica had cared for photojournalists it would have produced some stealthy finishes, not silly Safari editions for much later irrelevant times. I think black chrome is a fairly stealthy finish - isn't it? Regarding the Safari treatment, I like it. It is certainly an infinitely preferable look vs. the orange Hermes M7 or this monstrosity: https://leicarumors.com/2015/05/05/leica-mp-gold-peoples-republic-of-china-60-years-commemorative-edition-camera.aspx/ Edited October 8, 2018 by Herr Barnack Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david strachan Posted October 8, 2018 Share #11 Posted October 8, 2018 I think black chrome is a fairly stealthy finish -...this monstrosity: https://leicarumors.com/2015/05/05/leica-mp-gold-peoples-republic-of-china-60-years-commemorative-edition-camera.aspx/ Noice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Michael Posted October 8, 2018 Author Share #12 Posted October 8, 2018 Is here any interchangeable cameras, lenses manufacturer who doesn't have lens mount marks? I guess you don't need it for screw mount, but bayonet without marks? Must be Nikon . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_FD_lens_mount https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta_SR-mount#/media/File:Blendensimulator_Minolta_XD7_animation-2.gif https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount#/media/File:KAF2-2.jpg I think pretty much everything has marks of some sort. Red, white, whatever. I guess what I notice with the Leica is how large/raised the dot is compared to most. Large enough to feel without looking makes total sense to me. As a Canon user, the red dots are nice but pretty useless unless looking at it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted October 8, 2018 Share #13 Posted October 8, 2018 It is certainly an infinitely preferable look vs. the orange Hermes M7 or this monstrosity: https://leicarumors.com/2015/05/05/leica-mp-gold-peoples-republic-of-china-60-years-commemorative-edition-camera.aspx/ Perfect for blending into a cluster of Sheikh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snap Happy Posted October 11, 2018 Share #14 Posted October 11, 2018 The red dot fell off one of my lenses and I found it a real inconvenience. Leica supply replacements thankfully. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodies Posted October 11, 2018 Share #15 Posted October 11, 2018 The minuscule 2d red dot on the Summaron 28 is the only bad thing about this lens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblutter Posted October 14, 2018 Share #16 Posted October 14, 2018 A black dot would add tremendous value 🤣 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted October 17, 2018 Share #17 Posted October 17, 2018 (edited) Leica has always used the red dot very sparingly. Leica's main competitor during the early days saw this weakness immediately and introduced a real firework of red dots with the Zeiss Ikon Contax. It has none less than three red dots on the camera: one on the body, another one to mark the focussing mount, which has to be set at the position marked by the red dot on the body to be able to fix a lens (which can be only done on infinity) and a third one to indicate that you are really on infinity. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! But the lenses had of course their own red dot to be placed exactly in the position on the body marked by the red dot, where to fix it, and on top of that the rear lens cap had an own red dot, since you only could fix your rear cap at one special position, which was marked by a red dot. Edited October 17, 2018 by UliWer 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! But the lenses had of course their own red dot to be placed exactly in the position on the body marked by the red dot, where to fix it, and on top of that the rear lens cap had an own red dot, since you only could fix your rear cap at one special position, which was marked by a red dot. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/290286-raised-red-dot-on-leica-lenses/?do=findComment&comment=3614442'>More sharing options...
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